Images of Afghanistan

Exploring Afghan Culture through Art and Literature

Arley Loewen and Josette McMichael

Presents the first-ever overview of the art and literature of Afghanistan

Offers key insights into the complexities of Afghan culture and dispel the misperception that Afghanistan is only a haven for terrorists and drug dealers

Images of Afghanistan

Exploring Afghan Culture through Art and Literature

Arley Loewen and Josette McMichael

Description

Images of Afghanistan provides the first-ever overview of the art and literature of Afghanistan. 32 chapters on art, music, film, proverbs, short stories, poetry, cartoons, and folktales in popular style offer key insights into the complexities of Afghan culture. The book is divided into seven sections. Introductory chapters focus on the history of Afghanistan and understanding culture through art and literature. A Dari Literature section covers classical and modern poetry, short stories, proverbs and children's rhymes. A Pashto Literature section includes traditional poetry, modern poetry, short stories, folktales, proverbs and tappas. The Themes of Culture section analyzes the dynamics of shame and honor in the Persio-Afghan setting, the traditional need for
patronage and its modern relevance, the mystical longing for God as reflected in the ghazals of Hafiz, and romantic love in traditional and modern love stories. The Traditional Art section covers calligraphy, woodworking, and ceramics, the unique layout of the traditional city, and archeological heritage. The Performing Arts and Fine Art section explores the development of music, fine art, and film in Afghanistan. A final section called Potpourri features Afghan authors who help span the chasm between east and west, a selection of modern cultural initiatives, the infamous folk character Mullah Nasruddin, the role of women in art and literature, and cartoons and comedy.

Images of Afghanistan

Exploring Afghan Culture through Art and Literature

Arley Loewen and Josette McMichael

Table of Contents

Contents List: Foreword Preface Editors' Note Acknowledgements PART 1: INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS 1. Stepping Inside: Culture through the Voices of Art and LiteratureArley Loewen 2. A Guided Tour of Afghanistan's HistoryJonathan Lee PART 2: DARI LITERATURE3. A Thousand Years of Persian Jewels: The Classical Persian PoetArley Loewen 4. Rhyme and Verse in Politics: Persian Poetry in Afghanistan since 1900Bashir Sakhawarz 5. . They Constantly Sing with Grief: Eleven Modern PoetsArley Loewen, with Partaw Nadiri 6. Voices from Behind Window and Walls: An Overview of Dari Short StoriesArley Loewen 7. Glimpses Behind Windows and Walls: Nine Short Stories
from 20th Century Dari FictionArley Loewen 8. Crawling Worms, Blooming Flowers, and Poplar Trees: Dari Children's RhymesAsadullah Shour, with Arley Loewen 9. Tea First, Then We Fight!: Dari ProverbsJuan Cardenas PART 3: PASHTO LITERATURE10. . Guns and Roses: The Two Strands of Pashto PoetryRob Sampson 11. . I Love My Land!: Contemporary Pashto PoetryHabibullah Rafi, with Arley Loewen 12. . Traditions Live On: The Modern Pashto Short Story in AfghanistanMuhammad Zarin Anzur, with Arley Loewen 13. The Pinkie Finger says 'Let's go!': Pashto Lullabies and Nursery RhymesMuhammad Nabi Tadbir, with Arley Loewen 14. . Prisms of Light on Pashtun Life and Culture: Pashto ProverbsLen Bartlotti15. Tit for Tat: A Selection of Pashto Proverbs from Rohi MatalunaLen Bartlotti PART 4: THEMES OF CULTURE16. What Do People Say?: Reputation in Persio-Afghan CultureArley Loewen 17. Please be my Patron: How Firdawsi was Embittered by Sultan Mahmud of GhazniArley Loewen 18. . Longing for Home, but How to Get There?: The Poet Hafiz and the 'Problem of the Heart'Arley Loewen 19. . Love for the Sake of Love: Medieval and Modern Love Stories from Afghanistan and BeyondArley Loewen PART 5: TRADITIONAL ART20. Crossroads of Cultures and the Silk Roads: The Archaeological and Architectural Heritage of AfghanistanJonathan Lee 21. . God Taught Man by the Pen: Calligraphy in Afghan CultureLeslee Michelson 22. . Silent Beauty within Alleys and Walls: The Old City of KabulRory Stewart 23. Carving a Niche in Culture: The Noble Art of WoodcarvingHermione Calvocoressi and Mohammad Yousef Suratgar 24. Shaping Afghanistan: Traditional Pottery and Economic ReconstructionEsther Svensson, Noah Coburn, and Ustad Honaryar PART 6: PERFORMING AND FINE ARTS 25. . Modern Sounds, Ancient Words: Singing and Music in AfghanistanArley Loewen, with Vaheed Kaacemy and Sediq Qiam 26. . Drawing Back the Curtain: Art and Artists of AfghanistanMuhammad Alam Farhad, with Arley Loewen 27. . From Love to Osama: Film in AfghanistanArley Loewen, with Timur Hakimyar and Jawansher Haydari PART 7: POTPOURRI28. East Meets West: Two Afghan Authors Who Write in EnglishArley Loewen 29. Mullah Nasruddin: The Legendary Wise FoolArley Loewen 30. No Right to Write! No Freedom to Sing!: The Role of Afghan Women in Literature and MusicFatama Akhtari, with Arley Loewen 31. Who Built that Wall?: The Wall of Kabul and Other FolktalesArley Loewen 32. Cartoons and Comedy in AfghanistanZach Warren Appendices Glossary About the Contributors Editors' Biographies Index

Images of Afghanistan

Exploring Afghan Culture through Art and Literature

Arley Loewen and Josette McMichael

Author Information

Dr Loewen has been living and working among the peoples of Afghanistan and Iran since 1981. He is a top expert in his field, having earned a PhD in Persian Literature from the University of Toronto (2001). Previously, he earned his Master's degree in Persian Literature from Islamabad, Pakistan, with his thesis written in Persian. He is the director of Safari Consultants, a project for culture and publishing in Afghanistan, under Op Mercy. An accomplished speaker, he lectures internationally on Middle Eastern and Central Asian cultural topics. He holds seminars on leadership for Afghans in universities, NGOs, and government institutions-in the Dari language. His length and breadth of experience have enabled him to build many relationships with prominent Afghan artists
and writers.

Dr McMichael, an American family medicine physician, moved to Kabul during the Taliban era. She is the editor of Enjoy Afghanistan, a popular orientation manual for expatriate workers, and the author of Pocket Medical Dari and Pocket Medical Pashto, language survival guides for expatriate health workers. She has written more than 50 radio dramas on women's issues and public health topics. For two years, she led a four-day orientation course for expatriates new to Afghanistan. She and her husband, Todd, continue to live and work in Afghanistan.